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Definition of saturniid in US English:

saturniid

noun

Entomology

A silkworm moth of a family (Saturniidae) that includes the emperor moths and the giant Indian silk moths. They typically have prominent eyespots on the wings.

‘Further, extending our study, we also tested the conservation of a selected number of loci in different lepidopteran insects, including B. mandarina, the nearest wild relative to silkworm, a group of saturniids, and a noctuid.’

Origin

Late 19th century: from modern Latin Saturniidae (plural), from the genus name Saturnia.